The Vivosaur In Me
by Icy Metal and Frost Blue Roses
Summary: What if Vivosaurs were born humans that turn into Vivosaurs as they mature into adults? What if you yourself are a Vivosaur and you never knew it until you were changing into one? That is exactly the case with John, the teenage son of people who worked closely with Dr. Diggins on Vivosaur Island. Eventual romance and OC/OC
1. Chapter 1: Vivosaurs

**Author's Note: Hello, one and all who decided to click this story! I must say up front that this is my first fanfic for this, so don't kill me. Any and all Oc's you find belong to me and I'm a **_**Fossil Fighters**_** crazed fangirl.**

**Disclaimer: It should also be said that **_**Fossil Fighters**_** doesn't belong to me, but I do, however, own the plot to this story and all OC's used for this fanfic.**

**LEAVE ME A REVIEW! LEAVE ME A REVIEW! LEAVE ME A REVIEW! Please?**

* * *

Chapter One: Vivosaurs

Scratching at my arm for the umpteenth time in five minutes, I looked down to the red bumps showing up on my flesh from the excessive scratching of the irritated skin. I sighed, knowing the burning and tingling sensation would come back soon.

"John, please tell me you didn't scratch the skin right off your arm, did you?"

Looking up at my mother standing in the doorway watching me, I shook my head and replied, "No. Nothing I do to soothe the itching is working for me! It's driving me crazy!" Moving close to where I sat on the bed, she took my arm and stroked her hand over it, a motion that helped soothe me when I was little.

We sat like this for some time, the two of us observing each other until Mom broke the silence by saying, "I think you grew since yesterday." I shrugged. "I am a growing boy, you know. Ain't gonna stay pocket sized forever, no matter how much you want me to," I said, getting rewarded with a laugh.

"Oh, I wish you would. You were so cute when you were little!" Mom cooed at me and I rolled my eyes, scratching at my arm again.

"Stop that!" Mom chided, slapping at my hand.

"I can't help it! It itches!" I whined childishly, getting off the bed and reaching around to claw at my back, desperate to relieve the tingling sensation in my back.

:+:+:+:+:+:

"Rob, we have to do something about John. I'm getting worried about him."

"Diana, the boy's just going through a phase. Give him a bit of time and he'll get over it."

"Yeah? When _you_ hit puberty, you were a walking hormone looking to lay every pretty girl you saw, you didn't complain about being itchy."

"Itchy?"

"Yeah, that's what he said. Plus, I think he grew another four inches."

"If you guys have something to say about me, you could at least say it to my face," I said irritably, walking into the room.

"God, what in the world did you do, John? Roll around in a patch of poison ivy?" Dad asked, regarding the red patches of inflamed skin covering me from head to toe.

"I feel like it," I moaned, scratching my head.

A few days passed and I'm still itching. It had spread to every place one is inclined to scratch... even the ones people aren't so inclined to. I also continued to grow and places on my body broke out with something that turned my skin hard and dark colored.

(Diana's POV)

"Hello?"

"Hey, Steven. It's been a long time since we talked. How's Vivosaur Island treating you?" I said casually, grinning when the man on the other end exclaimed in recognition.

"Diana! It's so good to hear from you! How's Rob and Johnny boy?" Steven said happily.

"They're doing fine, but I'm concerned about John. He's been scratching himself all over and experiencing growth spurts like you wouldn't believe! He's grown almost a foot in the past week," I said.

"Have you gotten a good look at the places he's been irritated with? This is important that you do and I may know the reason behind it, but I'd have to see him to be sure," he said, a serious tone coming to his voice.

"... Well, John's skin has broken out in some kind of hives or something and he keeps messing with it," I replied, growing concerned with what's happening to my baby.

"That's it. I'm coming out there to see him myself. I think I may know what's happening," Steven said, his tone suggesting there's nothing to be said that can change his mind.

"Stevie, wait. What do you think is happening to my baby?" I asked.

"I believe John is a Vivosaur. I'll be heading out your way with a team, so expect an appearance soon. In the meantime, keep a watchful eye on your boy for anything new and out of the ordinary behavior." With that, he hung up and the phone fell to the floor. A Vivosaur. Of all the things that was happening to John, he's turning into a Vivosaur. I bit back a sob and sank to the floor, and watched as the men of the house walked into the room and came to my side.

"What happened? Was your friend no help?" Rob asked, pulling me into a lopsided hug.

"John, you need to go. There's something your father and I need to discuss in private," I whispered, shooing the baffled teen out of the room before turning to face my husband. I held up a hand before he could speak and whispered the news into his ear.

"He thinks _that's_ what's wrong with John?"

"Said he's coming out with a team to make certain that's what it is," I whispered, leaning against his shoulder.

"And Johnny boy ain't gonna be so cooperative with him. You know how he is with doctors," Rob sighed.

"That's not what I'm concerned about. I cringe to find out how he's going to react to what we think is happening to him."

:+:+:+:+:+:

(John's POV)

Reclining on the couch, I closed my eyes contentedly and listened to the goings on in the house. Just when sleep was about to overtake me, a knock at the door startled me from my almost drifting to sleep on the couch.

"It's for you," I said as Mom walked past to answer it.

"Steve! It's so good to see you!" Mom's happy voice exclaimed followed by footsteps walking back into to room.

"Hey, Johnny boy! You remember me?" a man asked, walking into the living room with Mom and a group of five other men.

"No. How do you know me?" I asked suspiciously, watching as the man came closer and took a seat nearest mine and let his eyes roam over my form, making me shift uncomfortably in my place on the couch.

"I'm Steve, but you'd probably know me better as Dr. Diggins," he said with a smile. Recognition dawned on me at the name. "I thought you were only working on Vivosaurs or something," I said, straightening myself to see the man better.

"True, but your mother was worried about your break outs and new-found height," he said haltingly, sensing he was now treading on sensitive ground. "You think I'm a Vivosaur? How do you think that?" I asked incredulously, giving the man my full attention.

"Give me your hand. I want to show you something," he said firmly and I extended my hand to him, allowing him to ghost his fingers over the dark patches of skin. "This is how you know it. Your skin is turning to scales," he said, letting go of my arm.

"Let me see your back," one of the other men ordered, indicating my shirt.

I scowled, not at all liking getting ordered around by total strangers Mom let into the house. "Or what?" I challenged, sensing challenging him was a bad idea, but I didn't care.

The man bristled. "I'll come over there and take it off of you myself," he threatened, taking a menacing step forward. I held my ground. "You don't scare me," I said calmly, regarding the older man as anger boiled inside him.

He didn't say anything else, reaching over and throwing me off the couch. I was soon on my feet, ready to attack, but a sudden sharp pain running up and down my spine stopped me. I felt one of the men behind me lift my shirt to expose my back and was silent for a moment before announcing, "Premature spines are piercing the skin. John's a Spinax."

"Number twenty in the list of identified Vivosaurs, air type. This should be interesting," Diggins observed.

"I'd predict he's gonna be changing pretty soon. Maybe in the next few days," another chimed in.

Utterly confused and overwhelmed by all the information, I quickly left the room, ignoring the calls of Diggins and Mom as they tried to get me to come back.

* * *

**Author's Note: What do you guys think? Is it good? Bad? Okay? Or does it suck? Let me know! Leave me a review, please!**


	2. Chapter 2: Changing

**Author's Note: Hey, hey, hey! I'm back! Thanks so much to those of you that reviewed this story so far!**

* * *

Chapter Two: Changing

Slamming my bedroom door shut and locking it behind me, I went for the mirror mounted on the dresser, pulled my shirt off, and turned around to appraise what the man said was there. And sure enough, there were small spines running up and down the center of my back, each about a few inches in length. Reaching around to touch them, I could feel the bone being covered by the thin pieces of skin keeping the spines within my body.

"John, please open the door," Diggins' voice asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Go away. This is too much for me to handle right now," I moaned, wincing when my already tense muscles practically buckled my entire form from the pain that washed over my body.

"John, it's important that you cooperate with me. I know you're scared out of your mind right about now, but you need to trust me on this," the man responded. I begrudgingly accepted that the man on the other side of the door had extensive knowledge of what is going on with me and left me with nothing but to trust him.

Opening the door for him, his eyes widened considerably at the number of patches of dark skin covering my torso. "You got me. What do I need to do?" I sighed, watching as a knowing smile spread across his face and guided me back int the living room.

I spent some time listening as the other men that came with Diggins, who were all apparently Vivosaurs as well, talked to me about what to expect. And once again, it became too much and I left again.

:+:+:+:+:+:

"A Vivosaur? Since when?" my friend, Adam, asked, his voice containing surprise and excitement.

"My whole life, I guess. But there's no way to really tell if you are one until an unbearable pain sets in, you grow a foot in one week, and develop an insatiable craving for meat," I sighed, tensing when I felt small, delicate hands pulling the back of my shirt up to examine me.

"That is so cool!" the girl, Kaitlyn, exclaimed, getting me to shift in my place to try and shake her probing fingers.

"It hurts like hell," I muttered, pulling my shirt back down.

"You have inspired me to follow my new dream of being a Fossil Fighter. If I did, would you be on my team?" she asked, taking a seat in my lap. Not knowing how to respond, I turned red in the face, getting rewarded with a giggle.

"Take that as a yes, Kaitlyn. The cat's obviously got his tongue," Adam said.

"John, what are you doing? You need to be at home!" Diggins' voice cried out, getting me to roll my eyes and remark, "You're not my father. I'll come home later."

"You need to come home _now_! I went over everything your parents told me of your condition when everything started happening to you and it's possible you may change in the next hour or so," the man said seriously, taking me by the arm and leading me to the car.

"Hey, man, we're coming, too!" Adam exclaimed, he and Kaitlyn hot on our heels.

"Don't argue with them. It's impossible to deter them when they got their minds set on something," I said, getting in the car.

The night passed by with sharp pains coming and going all night, but otherwise, I retained my human form.

(Kaitlyn's POV)

Jolting awake at a loud moan coming from the upstairs bedroom, I went for the man in the recliner and shook him awake. "Hey, something's going on with John up there," I whispered to him once he started moving around to acknowledge me.

"Showtime," he muttered, getting out of his seat to awaken the others and Diggins before heading up to John's room. Opening the door, we found John's awake as well, tossing and turning restlessly in the bed, clawing at himself in a frenzy.

"John, what's going on?" I asked worriedly, watching as the men went to John's bedside and began chaining his arms and legs together. John didn't respond in the way that I thought as a sickening crunch filled the air and my childhood friend involuntarily arched his back in agony as a scream erupted from him.

"It's time. He's changing," Diggins said calmly, instructing the team to take John into the backyard.

"If he stays in here, he'll go through the roof and that won't be a good thing," he explained, following me, Adam, and John's parents into the backyard. Rushing into the backyard, my concern for John grew increasingly at seeing how much he changed in just a short time. His fingertips and toes now ended in sharp claws and his teeth are now triangular and pointed. The patches of scales on his body now covered every inch of him and the spines of his back made their arrival known with loud ripping of fabric and agonized cries from the raven haired youth on the ground. For what felt like an eternity, all that was heard was the sound of fabric ripping and John's agonized scream mixed with that of a Spinax's roar, intermingling with dogs barking at the disturbance of the early morning. I held my breath as John's body began to reconfigure itself and grow larger all within a few moments to briefly show him in the form of a Spinax before he fell to the ground with a thud, back as a human but the features of a Spinax remaining.

"John...?"

"Don't go near him. That could prove to be a fatal mistake when dealing with changlings," one of the team members cautioned.

"Right now, the primal instincts of a Vivosaur are in control and he may kill you on sight," a second added.

"But it'll only last for a while until he regains control of himself. A lot of the time, a familiar sight, sound, or smell would snap him out of it quicker," a third chimed in.

Looking to the massive form of my friend, I watched him warily as he slowly pushed himself up and looked around. I winced when the young man's gaze fell on me and a growl erupted from deep in his throat that shook the still air.

Glancing over and Diggins, I whispered, "What do I do?"

"If he charges you, run. Use your size to your advantage, but he'll use strength and girth to take you down. If he gets you pinned, don't fight him, it'll only excite him further. Just stay still and don't move a muscle," he whispered, his eyes never leaving John as he pushed himself to his feet and stalked over to where I stood in a slow, predatory fashion.

I closed my eyes in fear as I felt hot breath on my neck and scaly hands run over my skin, making me break out in goosebumps at feeling the heat coming off his body and the low rumbles that escaped him as John looked me over.

"John..." I whispered, opening my eyes to see what he's doing and blushed furiously when I felt him clumsily fiddling with my belt buckle. That's where I draw the line. I slapped him, issuing gasps of surprise from the others as they gauged John's reaction to it. John didn't do anything, only looking back to me and narrowed his lovely blue eyes menacingly and another growl escaped him.

"Kaitlyn?" Diggins whispered.

"Yes, Dr. Diggins?"

"Remember what I told you about staying still earlier? Forget I said it. _Run_," he said forcefully and I took the time that John wasn't responding to me that I bolted out of his arm's reach. John responded to my movement like a lion on the hunt and lunged for me with a roar that rattled me to the core in fear, not only for me, but also for my friend.

I screamed when I felt strong hands come down on me and took me to the ground. I struggled under John's weight as his clawed fingertips dug into my skin as he flipped me over to face him. I cried, for once in my life fearful of my childhood friend as his eyes roamed over my considerably smaller frame with interest. My eyes never left him even as he gently nudged my head to the side with him forehead and leaned over to my neck and inhaled deeply. A deep rumble issued from him, sending chills up and down my spine and a deep voice whispered in my ear: "Kaitlyn..."

(John's POV)

Pulling away to observe her, the first thing I noted was fear in her eyes and tears streaming down her face. The second thing was the incredibly close proximity of our bodies and that I had her pinned underneath me with only one hand supporting me and my other hand pinning her wrists together. Then I caught sight of the scratches.

"Oh, my God, did I hurt you?" I whispered, getting off her to allow her to stand. She shook her head and quickly removed herself from beneath me and went to stand alongside Diggins and the others.

"Kaitlyn, what did I do to you?" I asked her, climbing to my feet to examine myself. I can see why she's afraid of me. Most of my body is covered in scales, but some places reverted back to flesh and shreds of what's left of my clothing were hanging onto me by mere threads. Looking up to the group watching me, most with knowing eyes, I didn't need to ask out loud what happened to me, but what happens to me next, I can't be sure.

"There's one thing left now," Diggins said finally, breaking the silence.

"And what's that?"

"People will notice a Vivosaur roaming around a neighborhood so we need to transport you somewhere Vivosaurs roam freely and people like us won't be disturbed," one of the others said. That 'somewhere' did not need to be named.

"I'll need to call Mr. Wildwest and ask him for a favor with arranging getting you there. It shouldn't take too long, I'm sure," Diggins said, leading the group into the house, leaving me and the other Vivosaurs outside to hunker down against the side of the house considering my new-found size wouldn't allow me access into the structure and the others apparently didn't want to go back in to stay with me.

All that's left is for me to wait for Mr. Wildwest to send for something to transport me and the other Vivosaurs out of here. But how long exactly will that take?

* * *

**Author's Note: Next stop; Vivosaur Island! Stay tuned! :D**


	3. Chapter 3: Vivosaur Island

**Author's Note: I'm back! Three updates in three days! I'm on a roll for something I only just started! LOL Keep with me, people! You won't regret it!**

* * *

Chapter Three: Vivosaur Island

It was some hours later that a transport arrived to take us to Vivosaur Island. And naturally, because I'm too big to get on a plane to fly out there, we have to go by boat.

I groaned, bracing myself against the wall as the ship was tossed around on the waves.

"Hang in, there, Johnny boy. We should be arriving at the dock soon," one of the men, Jared, said, regarding me with sympathy as I'm not accustomed to the tossing and turning to the ocean.

"We should be arriving in the next three or so minutes," another, Jack, said, following my example and braced against the wall in an attempt to keep from being jostled around too much.

"Hey, guys, we're almost there," a voice called out. Looking up to see who spoke, I tensed at the feel of something being injected into my body and fell to the floor unconscious.

(Jared's POV)

My gaze flicked between the man and John's prone form on the floor for a moment before shouting, "What the hell?! He could've done just fine walking off the ship on his own two legs!"

"Sorry, boys, you know how it is. Mr. Richmond doesn't want another incident like that one time we brought in a T-Rex from the mainland years ago," he said casually.

"Screw that! You tranquilized him because he's a changling and you think he's going to behave like a T-Rex?!" I screeched, moving to the unconscious teen's side and hoisted him up on his feet, motioning for the others to help me.

(John's POV)

"John, are you okay? Can you hear me?" a worried voice asked.

I moaned in response, opening my eyes and quickly closing them, using my hand to shield my face from the sun. Waiting a few moments, I tried opening my eyes again and found Kaitlyn hanging over my head. Propping myself up on my elbow, I took a moment to observe our surroundings before asking, "Where are we?"

"Greenhorn Plains on Vivosaur Island, naturally. Where else do you think they'd leave you to wake up? Central Park?" she replied, reaching over and brushing a few strands of hair out of my face.

"Why the hell did that guy tranq me? I wasn't doing anything!" I asked her, recalling the man sedating me before I passed out.

"It's something they do with new Vivosaurs coming in from the mainland since they brought in a rebellious T-Rex that destroyed the town years back. They do it regardless of how the Vivosaur acts upon arrival and drop them off here in Greenhorn Plain and allow them to wander from here as far off as the Caliosteo Islands," she said, giving me an apologetic look.

Pushing myself onto my feet, I took in the expanse of land and watched as Fossil Fighters roamed about digging for fossils. "Hey, what have you been doing since we got here?" I asked, looking to my friend.

"I went and registered to be a Fossil Fighter, so now I can start building teams. Would you be on mine if I asked you to?" she replied, watching me with those emerald eyes of her's that she knows I can't say 'no' to. I nodded and she let out a girlish squeal of delight and held up a small device to me.

"Check this out. You're familiar with Dino Medals, aren't you?" she asked me. I nodded, urging her to continue. "This is how I can put you in one and later down the road, you'll figure how to put yourself in and take yourself out of it," she said, smiling as she pushed a button.

I gasped, the flash of light temporarily blinding me before I realized what happened. Kaitlyn put me in a Dino Medal.

"KAITLYN! GET ME OUT OF HERE! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" I roared, anger building up inside me for being put inside something I can't get myself out of.

_It's okay, John. Just calm down and relax. I want to familiarize you with the concept of being in there_, Kaitlyn's voice murmured soothingly throughout the confines of the Medal. Looking up, I found an image of my Vivosaur form lit up from the sun and Kaitlyn's silhouette outside. A quick glance around shows me there's nothing here other than a cabinet full of medical equipment and what looks to be a bed for me to rest.

"I WANT OUT OF HERE!" I shouted, stamping my foot in frustration.

(Kaitlyn's POV)

I smiled at the Dino Medal in my palm and gingerly brushed my fingers over the Spinax image stamped on its surface and carefully slipped it into my bag alongside my newly collected fossil rocks and license for Fossil Fighting before heading back into town.

Walking past the different shops, I noticed that most the population consisted of Vivosaurs and reached in to allow John out of the Dino Medal to let him look around as well. Tossing the Medal, John responded in kind and landed on his feet, body tensed and poised to fight but relaxed when he found no one challenging him.

"Don't. Ever. Do. That. To. Me. Again!" John ground out, glaring at me before he wandered off into the crowds of people to explore. I watched him a moment before moving to catch up with him as he walked through the masses of people.

"Are you looking for something specific, John?"

"..."

"Not talking to me, now?"

"Gimme a break, Katie. I just want to be left alone for a while," he said finally, glancing down at me as we wandered the town.

"Hey, wanna go explore Greenhorn Plains? I'd like to do some digging and you can do whatever," I suggested and smiled when he shrugged, a thing with John he did to show indifference.

(John's POV)

Glancing around the wide expanse of land, I used what time I had to myself to disappear and find someone to talk to. Spotting a familiar redhead, I made my way over to him and said, "Hey, man. What's up?"

"Not much. You?" he replied, turning to face me. There was a moment of silence between us and I took my time studying the other man. He looked just like me minus the spines and featured orangey-reddish and white scales, marked occasionally with black stripes akin to that of a tiger.

"That your Fighter, there?" Jared asked, nodding toward Kaitlyn where she stood glancing between the ground and her sonar.

"Yeah. Her name's Kaitlyn," I replied, nodding in confirmation.

"Is she looking for new teammates?"

I nodded.

"Well, let's see if she'll accept my services, then," he said, moving to where Kaitlyn stood.

As the day came to an end, I found myself back inside my Dino Medal (not that I wanted to be back in the damn thing in the first place). Staring up at the image engraved in the ceiling, I mused over the events of the whole day and found that most my thoughts were centered around Kaitlyn. The scratches that now adorned her arms from when I attacked her and finding myself on her team of Vivosaurs.

"I can't believe I hurt her like that!" I murmured to myself, unable to get off that one thought. _At least you didn't hurt her too badly_, came that nagging little voice in my head. I scowled, mad at myself for hurting her even a little bit.

_You like Kaitlyn, don't you?_ that little voice pressed me. I shrugged my shoulders.

_It's a possibility that I do,_ I mused, arguing with the irritating little voice in the back of my head.

_It isn't a possibility and you know it. You've had a crush on her since the fourth grade and you can't deny it!_ the voice screamed at me and I slumped over in my position against the wall in defeat.

In that moment, I made a promise to myself to protect Kaitlyn as we progress in the ranks of the Fossil Fighters no matter the cost. It's only so long until the morning comes and it doesn't take a genius to figure out tomorrow is going to be a big day.

* * *

**Author's Note: Day one on Vivosaur Island is over! Day two will include John's training to use his powers and a Fossil Battle! OH, YEAH!**


	4. Chapter 4: Training and Fossil Battles

**Author's Note: If you have any suggestions for this story, send me a PM and I'll work it in to make it all the more enjoyable for you! :) Sorry this took so long, I had to fight off writer's block. :( FYI, I'm mixing up how a Fossil Battle is done in this so don't freak out on me. :)**

* * *

Chapter Four: Training and Fossil Battles

"You're kidding me."

"Nope."

"You want me to walk in there... with _that_?"

"Yep."

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's stupid, that's why!"

"It's not if you want to learn how to use your powers."

"..."

"Is that a yes?"

"..."

"You have to if you want to go into a Fossil Battle."

"Fine!"

Taking up the offending item in question, I made for the door leading into the arena where a group of others stood around listening as the instructor ranted about one thing or another that I wasn't paying attention to.

"You're late," a girl whispered.

"No kidding. I had a dispute with my Fighter," I whispered back, holding up the item that caused the dispute in the first place.

"Oh, my God..."

"She had to send me in here with a stupid tiny ass battery powered fan!"

"Why are you so angry about it? That's so cute!"

"No, it's not!"

"What're y'all talkin' 'bout back here?"

Turning to face the speaker, I held up the tiny handheld fan Kaitlyn sent me in with and said, "_This_ is what we're talking about! I couldn't get my Fighter to leave me alone otherwise!" Taking the object to inspect it, I, in turn, inspected the man. Sharp facial features are framed by shoulder length wavy brown hair, accenting tan skin and blue eyes. His attire consisted of a matching brown cowboy hat and duster jacket, gloves, jeans, and boots.

"Well, if ya kept sayin' no or jus' came on in here, Ah would'a had ya covered," he said finally, clearly amused by the tiny pink object in his hand.

"Kaitlyn is a woman that knows what she wants and a temper to scare the living daylights out of anything or anyone. Even though I'm bigger and stronger than she is, she will find a creative way to inflict punishment," I said, whispering the last part to him for fear of the others hearing it.

"Ah hear ya. Sounds like those times when mah Great Aunt Bobby-Lou stays over when there's a family reunion an' next thing Ah know, Ah'm short a few pairs of britches than when Ah went wit'. Ah don't wanna scar ya for life wit' what she does wit' 'em an' it ain't wearin' 'em," he replied knowingly, turning back to speak with the rest of us.

:+:+:+:+:+:

"Okay, y'all jus' stand right there an' raise yo' hand if ya feel somethin' goin' on. Y'all got that?" Joe said, moving to stand behind an awkwardly large fan and flipped the switch. I instinctively began gasping for air and closed my eyes to shield them from the strong winds produced from the the machine and tried to fight off the weird feeling of literally being blown away by the fan.

"This is awesome!" I heard another air type Vivosaur shout, but barely, too occupied with the bizarre feelings churning in the pit of my stomach before I tried to raise a hand to protect my face from the winds and unwittingly pushed it back, sending the machine flying.

"Well, that's one way ta do it," Joe said finally, watching the destroyed fan on the far side of the arena.

"Sorry about that, Joe. I didn't even know how I did that," I apologized.

"That ain't nuthin', big fella. Ah nearly had mah head bit off by a female Spinax wit' a severe case of PMS once. What you did was expected. What _she_ did... wasn't," Joe chuckled, obviously pleased with the destruction of the fan.

:+:+:+:+:+:

"How'd it go?" Kaitlyn asked expectantly, getting up to greet me as I walked into the building.

"It went. Just so you know, they had training stuff for us, so you could've kept your stupid ass battery powered fan," I said, dropping the aforementioned item on the floor. Kaitlyn scowled.

"It's not stupid!"

"You made me a laughingstock in there with that thing! I even had Joe Wildwest himself wetting himself laughing at this!" I cried, stalking off to the front of the arena.

"Well, what if I have a way to turn that frown upside down?" she asked, trotting along behind me.

"I doubt it, Katie."

"We're signed up for our first Fossil Battle in the competition!" she exclaimed, getting me to pause and look down at her in surprise.

"Are you sure about that? I just started learning how to use my powers and pretty low in the ranks for Vivosaurs, don't you think?" I asked, apprehensive of the upcoming event. She nodded.

"Of course I'm sure! We're at the start of the competition, so naturally you're at the lowest possible rank for Vivosaurs and I won't have my Fighter's License until we compete in our first battle to get it and then it's the start of the real deal. We're gonna get better and we're going to be climbing the ranks shortly enough. The people on our level aren't going to be as hard as those on other levels, trust me."

:+:+:+:+:+:(Four days later):+:+:+:+:+:

(Kaitlyn's POV)

"What a beautiful day for a Fossil Battle and an equally beautiful start to the competition. I'm P.A. Leon and my good friend Slate Johnson and we will be giving you play by play commentary," a man over the P.A. system said cheerily as his comrade came on to add to his partner's greeting to the crowds.

"You ready for this?" I asked, bouncing around in front of my companion in my excitement. John looked as excited as I felt if not more so as he watched the entrance into the arena with anticipation in his eyes and let out a growl of by way of saying "Let's get it on!" In the days before we were to participate in our first Fossil Battle, John has figured out how to change completely into his Vivosaur form and back into his humanoid form. he's currently towering over me as a complete Vivosaur in the high ceiling room we waited in until the doors pulled back to allow us entrance outside.

"_Let's do this!_" John's excited voice roared in my head, getting me to jump at his voice's volume as he took point and went out into the arena.

"_You'd better calm yourself, Johnny boy. This isn't the only Fossil Battle we're going to compete in_," I said to him through our bond. John snorted at this, but said nothing else. Looking up at the large screen mounted over head, it tallied up John's FP alongside my opponent before proclaiming it was John's turn to start it off.

Glancing down at the little screen before me, I tapped on my opponent's Vivosaur icon and read over his life points and John's, all but laughing when I found the Goyo had almost half the life points John has and attacked with the most basic attack John has.

"Spinax Fang," I read aloud and jumped when John advanced with the aforementioned attack. "Okay..." I said to myself, glancing over at my opponent to find her staring back. "I have no idea what I'm doing."

She laughed. "We're just getting started."

When it came time for her turn, I died a little inside when her Vivosaur attacked John. The blow wasn't anything serious, it didn't seem to faze him at all, merely grunting a little at the impact and retaliated, finishing him off in one swift move.

I ignored the commentators as they babbled on about me winning and strode after John as he exited the field. "You did great! And you thought you weren't ready for a Fossil Battle," I said teasingly, yelping and making a break for the door when John reverted to his human form and tried to bring me into a bear hug.

"John, no! Gross!" I shrieked when his strong arms wrapped themselves around my tiny waist and pressed me to his sweat covered body. The outburst only egged him on as he laughed, shifting me in his grasp so he was carrying me under his arm.

"Tell me how great I was, Katie," he said, walking me outside.

"You were badass!" I giggled, looking up at him, knowing I was only inflating his ego doing this. "Now put me down, John! You're sweating bad enough you look like you just took a shower!"

"Hmm... I don't think I've had enough fun with you being at my mercy," he said which translated into a resounding 'no'. "Tell me why you were trying to delve into my personal thoughts while we were out there, Kate. Is there something about me you want to know about?" he said, looking down at me as he carried me into the hotel and up to my room.

I blushed. "No reason. I just wanted to know what was going through your mind."

"Yeah, like you were over there fantasizing what I'd look like in a Predator's uniform," he said sarcastically, opening the door and closing the door behind us. "Stay out of my head!" I exclaimed, blushing when he laid me down and joined me in the bed.

"Naughty boy," I said lowly, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"That isn't naughty. _This_ is," he said softly, letting his hands slip down to my waist and gave them a squeeze making me squeal.

"John! Stop it!" I whispered, giggling.

"Don't tempt me."

Hours passed as John and I secluded ourselves in my room, enjoying what time we had to ourselves. Leaning my head against his chest, I watched John in the low light pouring in from the window as he slept, fancying him an angel or something of the like. I smiled, seeing my childhood friend sleep peacefully for the first time since he changed into a Vivosaur for the first time and all the pain he went through.

_Ooh, somebody has a crush!_ a little voice in the back of my mind whispered in a singsongy voice. I blushed. _I do not! It's more like admiration of him than a crush_, I argued with myself, hoping to God that John can't hear that little voice in the back of my head if he's reading my mind. _Don't give me that, Kaitlyn. You've liked that boy since you were in first grade and you can't deny it or I'll delve into his mind and tell him all about your crush on him!_ that annoying little voice warned and I scowled. _Okay, I like him, so what? It's not like I could say it to him outright and hope I don't make a fool of myself. I just wanna see if he likes me first, then I'll tell him_, I sighed, jumping when John moaned softly in his sleep and adjusted his hold on my considerably smaller frame and pulled me closer.

_Don't pretend you don't like his big, strong arms around you, girl. I know what you're thinking and you can't tell me you're not enjoying this_, the little voice said again. _Fine! I like this. Maybe a little more than I should, but we're just friends_, I mused, that pink tint coming to my cheeks again.

"Kaitlyn? What are you doing?" John's sleep-laden asked, making me jump at the break in the silence and looked up to meet his gaze.

"Nothing, John. I was just thinking," I replied, squirming in his embrace to see his face better and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, enjoying watching a pink tint appear on his face.

"What were you thinking about? It seemed to keep you busy for a while," he said softly.

"It's just a crazy thought, John. Leave it alone," I sighed, laying back down on top of him ready to sleep myself. John watched me a moment, no doubt trying to figure me out before yawning and closed his eyes again, too tired to question me further.

_It's only a matter of time till he finds you out, girl,_ that voice in my head whispered and I scowled. _Quiet, you. Can't you see I'm happy just being with him in this moment?_ I mused, making a face at the thought, but relaxed against John, smiling when he pulled me closer.

Glancing down at my body to take in the scrapes left by John's clawed hands, I frowned slightly but knew he didn't mean to hurt me like he did. _Primal instincts of a Vivosaur,_ I mused. Then the thoughts of how John's been handling me with great care since that day though he has a tendency to get a little rough were brought to surface. _He's protecting me,_ a sudden thought popped up, making me look up to my slumbering companion and blush.

In that moment, I made a discovery and even proved it to myself from looking back at the memories of John since he changed that John likes me. _But how much does he like me?_ I just had to wonder, but pushed it aside to think on later, choosing for the moment to be with him and enjoy our private moment.

* * *

**Author's Note: What's this? Kaitlyn likes John? Methinks this is the perfect time to throw in some plot twists and see what happens. ;D Leave me a review please and let me know how I'm doing!**


End file.
